Dennis Gu Jiahuan has missed out on participating in Paris. STANDARD HK

Dennis Gu Jiahuan, a skateboarder, has been denied the opportunity to represent Hong Kong in the Paris Olympics due to membership issues with the Hong Kong China Federation of Roller Sports and Skateboarding. This setback has shattered his Olympic aspirations.

The Hong Kong China Federation of Roller Sports and Skateboarding has yet to respond to media inquiries. The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, noted that the city's skateboarding governing body needs to improve its open and fair selection process for athletes.

Gu, 15, who has excelled in various regional competitions over the past two years, is currently in Nanjing training with Zheng Haohao, the nine-year-old youngest skateboarder from China to participate in the Games.

Despite his achievements, Gu will not compete in the Paris Olympics as he is not a member of the Hong Kong China Federation of Roller Sports and Skateboarding, one of 80 sports associations under the SF&OC. Although he joined the federation in 2021, he later switched to another sports association.

Reeve Tsui Yin-lung, president of the Skateboarding Association of Hong Kong, China, stated that Gu could not join the delegation to Paris because he was not provided with information regarding the local team selection process.

Talented teenager, Dennis Gu Jiahuan, will not participate in the skateboarding for China. STANDARD HK
Talented teenager, Dennis Gu Jiahuan, will not participate in the skateboarding for China. STANDARD HK

"There were no guidelines or provisions for him to know how the selection is made, or how many points or ranking he should attain in order to be selected into the Hong Kong team. The federation never gave him any information," Tsui said. "The country has issued guidelines to make him a national-level athlete, but the federation did not approve, what can he do?

"We originally had a skateboarder representing Hong Kong in the Games, but it was not him who attained insufficient points or was not good enough. It was a membership issue," he added.

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, vice president of the SF&OC, acknowledged awareness of the incident, emphasising that all athletes representing Hong Kong must be recommended by the SAR's federation.

"Sports associations should not stop and exclude athletes. Most of them followed the rules to undergo selection procedures, but I admit some of them have room for improvement. Each sport has its own rules and athletes, each event has a different selection procedure. 

"But we should regulate the openness of the information, including the process, operation, contact methods or even complaint and appeal mechanisms," Fok concluded.